The Twelve Days of Castle
by DeadPigeon
Summary: It's the holidays.  Kate said, "No gifts!"  So what's a man to do?  Some holiday fluff based on "The Twelve Days of Christmas".
1. A Partridge in a Rosemary Topiary

**A Partridge in a Rosemary Topiary**

It was Christmas day. He knew Kate was spending it at her father's house this year. He  
>also knew she was on shift tomorrow and that meant she would be at home tonight. He<br>couldn't wait. He couldn't wait for her complaint, her refusal and her indignation when he  
>showed up on her doorstep bearing a gift.<p>

He had brought up the idea of doing a Secret Santa gift exchange this year, and she had  
>shot him down with a quick "No gifts" comment. He tried his sad look of disappointment<br>on her, but it could never stand up against her adamant look of refusal. Fine, she may have  
>won the battle but he was determined to win the war. It would be bold. It would be risky,<br>and she would never see it coming. It would be a gift that he hoped she would return.

…..

The damn thing was heavier than it looked. Getting it out of his car had been a little awkward.  
>The town car would need to be sent in for a quick detail after the holidays were over to get<br>the dirt out of the carpet and the tiny leaves out of the groves of the back seat. As he stood  
>in the elevator with it perched against his left hip, he could feel a dampness seeping through<br>his jacket to his dress shirt and trickling ever so slowly down to his thigh. Crap! Oh well, no  
>plan was perfect. He set the plant down so that it could continue peeing on the floor and not him.<p>

Her apartment was near the elevator; so when he arrived at her floor he just dragged it on  
>over to her door. He knocked in time with the holiday tune that was running through his head<br>and while he waited he furiously rubbed at the damp spot on his jacket in some deluded hope  
>that the right amount of applied friction could dry it before she answered the door. He quickly<br>gave up when he heard the doorknob turn.

She obviously wasn't expecting anyone. Especially the one man she knows who owns an iPhone  
>with unlimited voice and text that can't seem to find the time to drop a line before coming over.<br>It was a little after eight and she was already dressed down for the evening. The soft white  
>t-shirt and colorful fleece pants she wore were wrapped in a fluffy pink bathrobe and anchored<br>by a pair of oversized fuzzy purple slippers. They made her look more like a twenty year old  
>college girl than a hard worn police detective…and they made him stare.<p>

"Castle?"

"Wah..?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Are those muffins on your pants?"

"No, they're cupcakes. What are you doing here?"

"Hmm." His eyes were still stuck on her pants."

"Castle, up here." She snapped her fingers at him and pointed to her face.

"Oh, sorry. I came by to wish you a merry Christmas."

"You could have called."

'Yeah, but I couldn't give you this over the phone." He moved to his right so that she could see  
>the plant on her doorstep.<p>

It was just as he predicted. It started with the furrow of her brow and ended up with her hands on her hips.

"Castle, I said no Christmas gifts and I meant it."

He ignored her complaint as he picked up the plant and hefted it back onto his hip.

"Well then…" He barged on in. "…it's a good thing this is a housewarming gift."

"A what?"

"A housewarming gift."

'I've been living here for more than a year now."

"Yeah, well…better late than never." A tiny smirk played across his lips.

She glared some more before she spoke again. "So why does your housewarming gift have a  
>Christmas bow around it?"<p>

"Oops, sorry. I meant to take that off." He had to give the red and gold bow a few tugs before  
>the wire that held it to the skinny trunk pulled loose. He hastily stuffed the offending object into<br>his coat pocket before looking back up at her with his _'I'm innocent of everything you're accusing  
>me of'<em> look on his face.

She wanted to laugh. He didn't have to try so hard. She would never admit it, but she enjoyed  
>the little things he did for her. The only reason she pretended to be mad was keep his gifts from<br>becoming too extravagant. One simple house plant she could deal with, but having him terraform  
>the roof of her building so that she could have her own private garden in the city…that would be<br>more than she could handle. She kept her look of indignation on him a few moments longer and  
>watched as he shifted the plant's weight around on his hip. She couldn't give in too easy. Wait<br>for it. She heard him grunt the next time he shifted it. Here it comes.

He held up a wet and dirty hand. "Do you think I could set this down somewhere?"

She gave him a deliberate eye roll. "Over here."

She led him into the kitchen and made him wait while she rummaged for something to put the  
>leaking plant into. She settled on a large stock pot and placed it on the floor.<p>

"You can put it in there."

"Are you sure?"

I'd rather it leak in there than on my floor."

He carefully fit the base of the plant into the pot and then stood back to admire it.

"So what do you think?"

"You bought me a tree?"

"It's not a tree, it's a topiary."

"A topiary?"

"Yeah, a topiary is a plant that's been carefully trimmed into a specific geometric shape or fanciful design."

"So how is this tree a topiary?"

"This isn't a tree. It's a rosemary bush that's been shaped to look like a miniature tree."

"So it's a tree that isn't really a tree."

"Uh..." Her logic stumped him for a second. "…yeah."

"So what am I suppose to do with a miniature tree?"

"Well you can eat it."

"Huh?"

"It's rosemary, as it grows out you can trim it back and then use the leave for cooking. It's a gift that  
>keeps on giving."<p>

She couldn't help the little smile that crept up the corners of her mouth. "Thanks Castle…its sweet."

He smiled back and she blushed uncomfortably. It was late, she wasn't properly dressed and he was  
>standing in her kitchen. It suddenly felt eighty degrees inside her apartment. It was stifling and she<br>needed to cool off. She wanted to take off her bathrobe and kick off her slippers, but she couldn't do  
>that so she headed to the refrigerator instead.<p>

She tugged on the handle. "Can I get you something to drink?" Her hand brought out a bottle of spring  
>water for herself.<p>

"No thanks, I can't stay. I promised Alexis I'd watch "It's a Wonderful Life" with her tonight. I just wanted  
>to drop that off and wish you a merry Christmas. So, with that done I guess I'll get out of your hair."<p>

He was blunt and didn't wait for a reply; he just turned and headed for the door. That's what she wanted,  
>but when he gave it, she never seemed to expect it. He knew she would give a reply in return.<p>

"Castle?"

She stopped him mid swing as he was closing the front door. He left his face blank as his eyes met hers.

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Always."

The door closed and her heart fluttered. Why did he have to keep saying that? She knew what it meant.  
>Why didn't he just go ahead and say those three words again. They meant the same thing. Didn't they?<br>She pulled open her robe, kicked off her slippers and chugged down the cool water as she stared at the  
>gift on her floor. I was just a damn houseplant. Wasn't it? Or was it a metaphor? That would be just like<br>him to leave a metaphor behind. Whatever it was, or wasn't, she couldn't get rid of it. He'd notice. She  
>needed to sit.<p>

She grabbed a handle of the stock pot and dragged the topiary with her to the living room and parked it  
>next to her coffee table. She plopped herself down on the couch, crossed her arms and propped her feet<br>up on the table. She had to think on this some more before she decided what to do with it. And so the  
>staring contest began. She knew she could win this one. It was an inanimate object for Christ's sake! It<br>couldn't make her blink. Funny thing was, the more she stared at it the more she began to see his face  
>looking back at her from out of its ball shaped greenery. She shot up from the couch. That wasn't a blink;<br>she just had to go to the bathroom…yeah right! She sat back down.

As she leaned back into the couch something caught her eye, a glint of something hidden in its branches.  
>She reached inside to extract the object and when she pulled her hand back out she could smell the<br>wonderful fragrance it left behind on her skin. What she found inside was a small delicate Christmas  
>ornament. It was a bird…no wait, it was a partridge. A beautifully hand painted silver, gold and white<br>partridge with speckles of glitter along its wings. What was a Christmas ornament doing buried in the  
>tree? Maybe there had been more and he had just missed it when he had removed the rest. He did say<br>he'd forgotten to remove the bow. It was beautiful. She took hold of the loop attached to the birds back  
>and carefully hung the ornament onto one of the branches. She now had a Christmas tree in her apartment.<br>She hadn't had one in years. Her dad would always put one up for her, but on her own, she never felt the  
>need or the desire to celebrate. It was nice. It wasn't something she'd done. He had…on accident, but it felt<br>right. She would keep it, she knew she would, and she knew the perfect place for it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Next: "Two Crystal Doves"<strong>_


	2. Two Crystal Doves

**Two Crystal Doves**

He had his story all worked out. He even had a back up plan for if, and when she  
>refused. The weight of the object currently residing in his jacket pocket made it<br>bump against his right thigh again and again as he walked into the 12th Precinct.  
>There was no other place to put it, so it would just have to stay there. He fondled<br>it as it rested against his leg during the ride in the elevator. He was nervous, of  
>course. Would she catch on too quickly or would she buy his story? The elevator<br>made its obligatory ding and the doors slid open. He would find out real soon.

It was the day after Christmas and the bullpen was almost empty. The place was  
>usually so noisy he never noticed that his shoes actually made sounds on the<br>linoleum as he walked to her desk. Today there was just a skeleton crew. There  
>would be no Ryan or Esposito, they were both off. They would even have a reprieve<br>from the presence of Iron Gates today. Only Beckett, O'Connell and Stegner were  
>on duty and that would be perfect. No inquiring eyes and no interruptions.<p>

Her morning greeting was the way in which he gauged what kind of day it would be.  
>If she spoke first it was always a good sign. If he had to make the opening remark it<br>was always best to give a basic greeting that lacked any emotion whatsoever and  
>then wait to judge her reply. After last night, he didn't know what to expect. As he<br>neared her desk, the sight of her pounding on her keyboard and then shaking her  
>monitor while growling at it was obviously not a good sign. Best not to say a word.<br>What came out of her mouth as he sat down next to her surprised him.

"Morning Castle."

She sounded downright chipper.

"Good morning."

"How was your movie last night?"

"Um…it was good. We had a good time."

"Glad to hear it."

He didn't respond to her comment, there was none to give. It had to be a trap. After  
>watching her attack the computer just moments before she was obviously setting him<br>up so she could bite his head off. He had to do something. Run away, yeah that  
>seemed to be the best option at the moment.<p>

"I'm gonna fix me a coffee, do you want one."

She smiled at him. "That'd be great, thanks."

He made a hasty retreat to the break room and he kept an eye on her as he made their  
>coffees. She was back to pounding on the computer again. This went on for another minute.<br>He had looked away to stir a teaspoon of sugar into his coffee when he heard a loud "DAMN!"  
>come from her desk. He glanced in her direction in time to see her hands grip her head in<br>frustration. He was worried. That 'damn' meant that his plan just might fail.

He returned to her desk and set their coffees down. He sat down, and as she reached for her  
>coffee he set the baseball sized intricately crafted crystalline figurine onto her desk. Her cup stopped<br>midway to her lips.

"What is that?"

"It's a present."

"Didn't we have this discussion last night?"

"It's not a gift from me; it's a gift from Ashley."

"What?" She set her cup down. "Why is Ashley giving me a gift?"

"Sorry, I'm messing this all up. What I meant to say was that this was a gift that Ashley sent to Alexis."

"And, so why is it on my desk."

"She shoved it in my hands this morning and told me to get rid of it. I told you months ago that they  
>broke up. Remember?"<p>

She nodded her head.

"Well, she said that it was cruel for him to send her a figurine of two lovebirds after they'd broken up  
>and that she didn't want to look at it."<p>

"So you want to give it to me?"

"Who else am I supposed to give it to? Isn't it something girls like? Aside from my mother, you're the  
>only other girl I know, so I thought you might like it."<p>

She picked up the figurine and held it up to the light. "Wow Castle, I don't know what to say. Should I  
>be flattered that I'm the only girl you know, or that you thought enough of me to give me the discarded<br>token of someone else's affection."

He grabbed the figuring from her hands. "You know what? I knew this was a bad idea. Sorry I brought it with me."

"It was just a comment Castle. No need to get all bent out of shape about it."

"My mother was right." He mumbled offhandedly as he juggled it in his hands.

'About what?"

"She said I should just give it to Gina. She likes these sorts of things."

Bam, said the lady! There it was…his plan of last resort. Jealousy.

He could see her eyes darken through the squint of her lids. She was thinking.

He stopped juggling the birds and pulled out his cell phone. Step two.

"I'll just give her a call and see if she'll take it."

That did it.

She snatched the figurine back from his hand. "Don't be so touchy Castle. I never said I wouldn't take it."

He threw up his hands in mock defeat.

"Whatever, I don't want you to feel obligated."

"I don't feel obligated. It's pretty. I was trying to get a better look at it when you snatched it from my hand."

"Sorry."

She set it down on the left front corner of her desk. She wanted to make sure that he could see that she  
>could see it. She wasn't about to hide it. She would just deal with it later. She went back to pounding on<br>her keyboard.

"Computer troubles?" Damn, he'd fallen into the trap he was trying to avoid.

She arched her eyebrows at him and bobbed her head. "Duh!" More pounding followed.

"It doesn't want…" She hit enter, again and again and again. "…to take…" She pounded the delete button  
>next. "…my password!" More typing then the enter button again…a little harder the next time, followed by<br>more shaking.

"Damn it!"

"Did you call tech?"

Another glare. Oh crap, he'd done it again!

'Yes, I called tech, thirty minutes ago. They're a little slow today. I'm sure you can imagine why."

Time to retreat again. He sipped his coffee and faked a cough. "I think I need more sugar. I'll be right back."

He stayed gone for as long as he could. When he saw her looking towards the break room he knew it was  
>time to go back.<p>

"I made another cup." He offered up as explanation for his absence.

"Tech called while you were gone. They said it'll be another hour before they can get up here. Why don't  
>you go home Castle, there's nothing for you to do here today."<p>

"I can keep you company."

She started digging in her desk drawer and eventually pulled out an emery board.

"If you really want to sit there and watch me file my nails, knock yourself out."

He watched her rub the board across her nails for a few minutes before giving in.

"Fine, I'll go home and spend the day with Alexis. She's still a little bummed about not having a boyfriend  
>at Christmas. Maybe I can cheer her up." He stood and straightened his coat. "See you tomorrow?"<p>

"Sure Castle. The after holiday fighting will start tomorrow; so we'll be busy. Go and have a nice time  
>with Alexis while you can."<p>

"Thanks, I will." He walked away relieved. He'd done his job and delivered the figurine. And if she spent  
>the rest of the day looking at it, she might even figure out that they were doves and not lovebirds. He'd<br>just have to wait and see.

In between the nail filing, waiting on tech and answering about twenty unimportant phone calls, she did  
>wind up looking at it for most of the day, but she never saw the doves. She only saw Castle trying to clutter<br>her life. He'd left a plant at her house and now a figurine on her desk. The way things were going, she  
>wouldn't be surprised if when she left work, she found that he'd put flying monkeys in her car.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Next: Three Cornish Hens<strong>_

_Sorry, I couldn't resist the "Firefly" reference._


	3. Three Cornish Hens

**Three Cornish Hens**

The next gift needed an accomplice and Alexis was eager to help. Especially after he  
>explained what he was he was doing and why. He prayed that his idea would work.<br>There would be no back up plan for this one. The timing was critical. Too early, and  
>she may not be interested. Too late and she may be too tired. Right before lunch…<br>that would be the perfect time. She would already have food on her mind and he just  
>might get a yes to his question.<p>

….

He was getting nervous. It was almost twelve and he would only have one shot at this.  
>Luckily their location upped his chances. The day had been quiet and they'd spent the<br>morning at the precinct. There'd be no distraction of a crime scene to keep her from  
>listening in on his prearranged phone call with Alexis.<p>

When her call came, he jumped in his seat and Kate shot him a curious glance.

He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and waved it at her.

"It startled me." He made a pretense of glancing at the screen before answering it.

"It's Alexis. I'll just…" He answered her call.

"Hello sweetie, what's up?"

"…Yeah."

"…What?"

"…But you can't…you promised,"

"…Alexis!…tonight's the last night!"

"…We already put it off from last week because of some stupid field trip."

"…Your right, I'm sorry…I didn't mean stupid."

"…But its only one test!"

"…You don't need to study…getting one B won't hurt."

"…But…"

He pulled his phone away from his ear and stared at it for a second before looking over  
>at Kate. She'd been listening in and cutting glances at his during the entire conversation.<p>

"She just hung up on me."

"Yeah, well with the way you were whining, I don't blame her."

"What? How am I the bad guy here? She's the one who promised and now she's backing  
>out at the last minute."<p>

"Backing out of what Castle?"

This was it. He had to sell it for all he was worth. He reached into the breast pocket of his  
>jacket and pulled out the 3x5 piece of cardstock that he'd designed on his computer and<br>printed out days ago.

I got this open invitation for two free meals at this new restaurant, _L'Oiseau de Feu_ in my holiday  
>gift basket from Black Pawn, and it's only good thru tonight. Alexis has been promising to go<br>with me for two weeks now, but she keeps backing out. I was really looking forward to this."

"It's just a restaurant Castle. I mean, food is food, how great can it be."

"Food is food? Have you no palate? How can you compare a perfectly cooked filet mignon or a  
>dish of Chicken Provencal to a baloney sandwich? They are not the same."<p>

She just chuckled and shook her head at him. "Whatever."

"No, no you do not get to dismiss this one." He waved the card and then set it down in front of  
>her, tapping it as he spoke. "This place has supposedly perfected the art of cooking all types of<br>fowl. Chicken, turkey, quail, duck you name it they cook it. There is no menu. They perfect a dish  
>and offer it for one night only. They want their customers to experience a new dish every time<br>they visit."

"That's different."

He sat back into his chair and sighed wistfully. "I was so looking forward to going tonight. I've  
>been thinking about it ever since I woke up this morning."<p>

"You can still go Castle."

"What! By myself? How pathetic is that."

"People do it all the time; it's not a big deal."

"Yeah, sad and lonely people do it all the time. I do not want to be one of those people."

She gave him a heartfelt smile and started playing with the card. He could tell she was thinking  
>about it. So he played up the pathetic angle some more.<p>

"I could always take my mother, but that's almost a bad as going alone."

A smile crept up the corners of her mouth as she picked up the card. He was waiting for her to  
>invite herself, but she never said anything.<p>

I was time to go for broke.

"I don't suppose…" He looked at her with pleading eyes.

She met his gaze and then dropped it back to the card.

He turned in his seat to face her.

"Please?"

"I don't know?"

"Oh, come on…It'll be fun."

"Alright Castle, "I'll go. What time are we going?"

"We can go right after work if you like. The name is the only thing fancy about the place. Dress is casual."

She handed him the card. "That sounds fine. So what are they serving tonight?"

He slipped the card back into his breast pocket. "I haven't a clue."

…..

They caught a new case later that afternoon and it was almost eight o'clock before they made it to the  
>restaurant. The place was still busy, but they managed to be seated in less than five minutes. Kate<br>commented that it had to be some kind of new record for getting a table in the city. He just laughed.  
>They were seated in a quiet nook at a simple linen covered table. Wine was ordered, but the meal<br>they were told, would remain a mystery until it was served. When it finally arrived, it was enough to  
>feed an army.<p>

Kate looked at the large platter and multiple dishes set before her. "What is all this?"

The waiter was happy to explain. "This is your meal for the evening. It consists of three uniquely prepared  
>Cornish hens. One has been marinated in a combination of herbs and white wine and roasted to perfection;<br>the second has been prepared with a spicy chipotle rub and then slow smoked. The third was lemon and  
>honey basted on a a rotisserie grill. They are accompanied by a sweet apple cranberry stuffing and fresh<br>steamed green beans."

Kate was still stunned at the quantity of food. "Wow, it's a lot."

"We made the meals larger during the holidays. This time of year most people like having leftovers to take  
>home. Enjoy your dinner." The waiter gave a slight bow and left them to their meal.<p>

They were both starving and the next ten minutes consisted of their forks and knives clinking against their  
>plates, some eye rolls and a few mumbles with mouths full of Cornish hen that sounded like, "Mmm, that's<br>good" and "So wonderful".

They came close to eating like an army; and as they surveyed the carcasses and half empty bowls on the table  
>before them, it looked like there was only enough food left for one meal. Kat leaned back in her chair with her<br>hand on her belly and blew a puff of air from her cheeks.

"Oh…my…god, I haven't eaten like that in years."

She looked over at Castle and found him smiling at her with a grin that crinkled his eyes and touched her heart.  
>She felt herself blushing from head to toe.<p>

"So, was this the best restaurant ever, or what?"

"I have to agree. The food was amazing."

"And you get to enjoy it again tomorrow night." He motioned to a passing waiter.

"Yes sir?"

"We need a to-go box for the lady."

"I'll bring that right back." The man hurried off.

"Castle I can't take this. It was your gift you should take it home."

"And watch my mother and Alexis fight over it…no way! Besides, Alexis doesn't deserve to have any after bailing on me."

She snickered. "That is so childish."

He looked smug in his reply. "I don't care; I'm still not taking it so you might as well have it."

When the waiter arrived back with the Styrofoam container Castle crossed his arms and rested his elbows on the  
>table so that she had to take the container from the man. When he tried to help her load it she smacked his hand<br>away with her fork.

"I believe this is mine."

He smiled, rubbed the back of his hand and watched her load up. A few minutes later she was done.

"So, you ready to go?"

She nodded.

He had ridden with her to the restaurant and she agreed to drop him off at his place. They'd only traveled a few  
>blocks when she noticed him squirming in his seat and pulling at his seatbelt.<p>

"What are you doing over there?"

"I'm trying to unbutton my pants?"

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't in the restaurant."

"And it's ok to in my car?"

"I'm not taking off my pants, I'm just unbuttoning them."

"Can't you wait till you get home?"

"No."

He couldn't see her face but he could sense the eye roll that was accompanying the shake of her head. He didn't  
>mind. He wanted to be able to be comfortable around her and he wanted her to notice.<p>

She noticed all right, and she was secretly jealous. She had wanted to do the same thing a half hour ago, but now that  
>he had, she realized how intimate a gesture the releasing of that one button actually was.<p>

They were both quiet during the remaining drive to his apartment. She was two blocks from his place before she  
>noticed that despite the heater being broken in her car, the windows were starting to fog. Was she causing that,<br>or was it both of them? She had to break the silence.

"Almost there."

"Yeah."

"I had a nice time Castle." She made sure she said "Castle"; it put some space between them.

"So did I, I'm glad you came."

His apartment was just ahead, so he reached down to re-buttoned his pants and she watched out of the corner of  
>her eye. Yeah, it was definitely intimate.<p>

He said goodnight, and she waited until he entered the building before driving off…with all her windows down.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: I do not speak French so if I mangled the name of my fictious restaurant, someone please let me know.<strong>


End file.
